Do you want to know how it's done? Learn how to use Photoshop the easy way!

How to Add a Signature or
Watermark to a Batch of Photos
Photoshop Training

The other day someone from my Myspace Photoshop page asked me if there was a way to add a signature to a whole bunch of photos without having to go through each and every one. She is a photographer and could potentially have hundreds to do at a time. That could take hours to complete. I never thought to do that so I started playing around with it a bit. She has Photoshop 7, so this is done in that version. You can do this in the newer versions, the only difference is that you have more options.

The fist thing you will want to do is create your signature. You can make it whatever you like. It can be fancy or simple. Just keep in mind how big the photos are that you want to brand with your signature and how much space you want to take up. I am not going to go into creating watermarks for this tutorial but here is a link to how to do that.
Watermarks can also be useful for preventing duplication of an online coupon like Overnight prints coupons or any electronic coupon.

For this tutorial I am creating a signature at 250 X 75 pixels @72 pixels per inch. You should match the pixels per inch with whatever the resolution of your photos are. Make sure you select a transparent background. Here is what mine looks like before saving.

Now you will need to save it as a PDF file. After you hit Save, a PDF options window will pop up. Make sure you check mark the box that says "Save Transparency", and click OK.

Now we need to create an action or macro to automate the process for us. Open any picture. Next make sure your Actions Tab is showing, and click the Create New Action icon. Name it something meaningful like Signature and click Record. This will begin recording each thing you do until you tell it to stop.

Select File/Place and navigate to the signature PDF you created earlier and click Place. Then hit enter to commit the Place. Hit Ctrl+A to select all. Next choose Layer/Align to Selection/Bottom Edges. Then select Layer/Align to Edges/Right Edges. This should place your signature in the bottom right hand corner. It will probably be too close to the edges, so select the move tool, and move it up and to the left a bit. Make sure your signature layer is selected before doing this. Hit Ctrl+D to deselect. Select the flyout menu on the Layers Palette, and choose Merge Visible. This will create one layer for our document.

Now choose Save As JPEG. It doesn't matter where you save it for this recording process. Now hit the stop button on the bottom of the Actions Palette, and you have created an automated task!

This is how I placed mine.

OK, now for the good stuff. You will need to create a folder where Photoshop will put the photos with the signature on them. This will retain your originals as is, and make copies of the new ones.

Select File/Automate/Batch. In the window that pops up you will want to make sure that your signature action is set. You will need to navigate to the source folder, which is the folder where all of your pictures that you want to add a signature to are. Then navigate to the destination folder, which is where it will put the pictures with the signatures on them.

Click OK and let the automation begin. This will place the signature the same for landscapes and portrait layouts. If you are doing 100 or more pics, go get a beverage and let Photoshop do all the work for you.